Illinois may rate lower than Indiana in state science standards according to a recent study; however, at least most of our state representatives appear to understand what belongs in a science book and what does not. Unfortunately for the people of Indiana, many of their representatives don’t carry that knowledge and wisdom.
Indiana's Senate Bill 89 passed the Senate by a 28-22 vote on January 31, 2012, and is now off to the House of Representatives. This bill promotes multiple “theories” on the origin of life from multiple religions. There is only one problem. “God did it” does not constitute as a scientific theory. “God did it” falls under theology, not science. If we want students in public schools to learn about major Eastern and Western religions, there is a course that covers that. It’s called Religious Studies.
Anyone who has solidified their minds around religious explanations of the world will not continue to seek answers. Anyone who does not seek answers is of no use in Neil Tyson’s lab or any other. There is a country where science is chained to a specific religion in what is known as a theocracy. It’s called Iran. Don’t expect any major scientific breakthroughs from that country any time soon.
The Creationists attempts to bring Biblical Genesis into science class must stop. In today’s world of global competition we need higher standards of scientific literacy more than ever. The goal in any educational legislation should be to improve the quality of learning. Trying to shove religious dogma down the throat of natural science does not meet that goal.
Would you like to join in on the Creationism vs. Evolution debate? You don’t need to have a degree in science in order to arm yourself well for argumentation. In a matter of hours you can gain the greatest discoveries of evolution from someone who has spent a lifetime in biology. The book to read is The Greatest Show on Earth by Richard Dawkins.
Note – How does Illinois rank in science? Check out the study by The Thomas B. Fordham Institute.
http://www.edexcellencemedia.net/publications/2012/2012-State-of-State-Science-Standards/2012-State-of-State-Science-Standards-FINAL.pdf
Filed under: Creation, Education, Evolution, Illinois, Indiana Bill 89, Religion, Science
Tags: Creationism, education, Evolution, Illinois, Indiana Bill 89, religion, Science
James,
Thank you for you interesting article.You bring to light an important issue of how origins should be taught in public schools and suggest a resource, Dawkins book.
You see religion as a force that hinders scientific inquiry. Yet there are many prominent scientists throughout history who did not take this view. For example, Francis Collins, who headed the human genome project remarked that as a Christian believer, "the experience of sequencing the human genome, and uncovering this most remarkable of all texts, was both a stunning scientific achievement and an occasion of worship." Here's a link with more of his comments and his book-- http://biologos.org/projects/the-language-of-god-by-francis-collins
Hello Rob, thanks for commenting.
Religious extremism is a force that hinders scientific inquiry. There is no doubt that scientists who were religious have made great contributions, but it also should not be forgotten what happened to Galileo and the fear instilled by heresy charges throughout the ages that crippled free thought.
Regards,
Jim
Religion is a force that hinders thought, not just scientific inquiry.
This discussion is interesting for me on so many levels--as an educator, academic, aspiring paralegal and even as a parent--not to mention that all my in-laws live in Indiana. There, school voucher legislation has been passed, allowing tax dollars to be used for all types of schooling. It's a matter of time before Creationism is next on the table.
First, someone can be a scientist and a believer in God. Life science is not my discipline, nor do I belong to a church, but can't a scientist belong to an organized religion and still rely on his/her scientific training to further inquiry as we know it? A scientist who's also "a Christian believer" doesn't negate the importance of key scientific findings. Most people in the discipline agree that natural selection is the force compelling the "theory" of evolution that explains the diversity of life.
The point of view of folks who claim, "Science is just another belief system" doesn't cut it, either. Look around. We live in a world where science and the scientific method propels advancements in pretty much every area of our lives--health care, commerce, and even research in social science and education, just to name a few. Yet, many folks' moral and spiritual lives are informed by their religious beliefs. Fine. I'd prefer they not impose their views on me, but they might even agree that their religious views don't dictate their every move.
I've got to agree with Mr. Wall on this. We will be held back as a society if religious doctrine becomes the driving force in determining legislation in education, esp. curriculum in public schools. These institutions rely on our collective tax dollars to educate students to, ideally, be well-rounded, critical, creative thinkers--not followers. Science and religion is not an either/or proposition; however, there is a reason for the separation of church and state.
Good well balanced comment.
Thanks for the comment SCB! The best sources I've found for moral teachings are the great ancient philosophers such as Confucius and Socrates.
Cheers!
-Jim
Q. "What belongs in a science book?"
A. Let's teach cutting-edge science in science class-rooms.
A few examples include:
- Molecules-to-man evolutionism violates the Law of Biogenesis:
Life does not come from non-life.
- The specific complexity of genetic information in the genome does not increase spontaneously. Therefore, there is no naturalprocess whereby reptiles can turn into birds, land mammals into whales, or chimpanzees (or any other supposed common ancestor) into human beings.
For more examples,
See:
Creation Doctrine
What Does the Catholic Church Teach about Origins?
What Does Cutting-Edge Science Teach about Origins?
kolbecenter.org/images/kolbe/pdfs/what_church_teaches.pdf
There is no "Law of Biogenesis". Whether or not life can come from non-life we don't know. But there's certainly no law against it. And the theory of evolution says nothing about it.
Simply stating your opinion that reptiles cannot evolve into birds does not make it true. And your talk of "chimpanzees turning into humans" reveals that you're still at the level of the Victorian satirists of evolution.
I'd suggest you move forward 150 years and learn what the theory actually says.
Thanks for commenting and clarifying Steve. I've never heard of a law of biogenesis before. The arguments against evolution are simply getting weaker and weaker. Many missing links have been found. I imagine what we know today will even be eclipsed by what we will know in 50 years.
Cheers!
-Jim
Hello Joseph, I highly recommend that you read The Greatest Show on Earth by Richard Dawkins. Unlike some of his previous works, it is not anti-religious; the book focuses on scientific discoveries and methods. When two breeds of an animal obtain enough difference between them over time where they no longer mate with each other, they are then classified as different species. Mankind has created many different and diverse breeds of plants and animals. Species classifications will happen when the difference between certain breeds continues to that point.
Regards,
Jim
Did you reach 3rd Grade?
Since they are going to be teaching from The Bible - as a Black person I wonder if they're going to be including that Genesis 9:25-27 "Curse of Ham" "Blacks are inferior" stuff as in The Bible??
https://www.google.com/search?source=ig&hl=en&rlz=1G1GGLQ_ENUS344&q=Genesis+9%3A25-27&oq=Genesis+9%3A25-27&aq=f&aqi=&aql=&gs_sm=s&gs_upl=167l7940l0l11087l10l10l0l4l0l0l1782l2906l7-1.1l2l0
Thanks for the comment Mike. I had to look that one up. I didn't see any interpretation of race, but the story is absurd. Noah gets drunk and passes out. Canaan sees him naked and tells his two brothers that cover up Noah without looking at him too much. Because of this, Canaan is made a slave. It's just another one of those Bible stories that promotes atheism. :)
Cheers!
-Jim
james, if you Google: "Curse of Ham" you can't miss the racial references, and inferences.
Apparently it was used as a justification for later slavery, but it appears this was used at the time to justify subjection of the Canaanites to the Israelites. But Canaan didn't even do anything! And what about Noah passing out drunk? Any punishment for that? The story is just so dumb. Countless people and animals have been destroyed in the flood, and Noah's worried about people seeing his penis. He really had his priorities in order.
The evolution theory is an irrational falsehood, zealously embraced by atheists, that is a phony conclusion of the 600+ million year fossil record. There is no “valid supporting data” for evolution. In a court of law, or in a public forum, the same evidence that evolutionists would use to try to “prove” the validity of that theory, I would utilize to reveal the truth of Genesis. In order to believe in evolution, you have to purposely ignore certain facts of reality. For example, when you see illustrations of primates being pictured as evolving into humans, it can be shown in a court of law that such a premise is impossible, because certain human and primate traits are different, and could not have ever been shared. The only “common ancestor” that humans and primates share is God Himself.
Current Creationism has refused to teach the truth of the Genesis text, and either teaches foolishness (young Earth), or false doctrines (non-literal reading of the text). Creationists thoughtlessly try to prove “Creationism”, rather than seeking and teaching the truth of Genesis. How can an untruth, ever prove another lie, to be in error? You can’t do it. That is why Creationism fails. It essentially is also a lie, and should be discarded, even by Bible believers.
The correct opposing view to evolution is the "Observations of Moses", which conveys the truth of Genesis chapter one.
Those that imply that God used evolution are infidels at worse, or clowns at best, that refuse to learn the truth of Genesis. The truth has been available for more than 18 years. Such a discussion is currently silly, and shows stubbornness against learning the truth of God's Word.
There are no "creation stories" in Genesis. In fact, about all of theology and creationism have no idea what Moses was writing about. You can't simply take an advanced book of math or science, and try to read from it on your own without personal instruction.
For example, Genesis declares that mankind has been on this Earth, in his present likeness, for more than 60 million years. The "male and female" in Genesis chapter one was not "Adam & Eve". Has modern science discovered that yet?
Herman Cummings
ephraim7@aol.com
Herman, I replied very harshly to an e-mail like this before only to find out it was satire. You are joking here right?
Cheers!
-Jim
NOPE - He's completely serious.
See how I despair at being trapped on this backwards Planet??
Hey James - just for something completely different, check out my Transit Project; Google Search: CTA Gray Line
Exciting project! It's been a long time since I lived in the City. Way back when they used names instead of colors.
The Indiana state legislature came very close at one time to making it law that pi should be 3, to help the kids with their math homework. Nothing in Indiana surprises me anymore.
LOL! Thanks for the comment.
-Jim